Seriously. If there is a sub-genre of fantasy tragedy, Gwynne would get top-billing. He gets me so invested in these characters and their relationships with each other, only to pile twist upon twist and gut-wrenching emotional moments upon gut-wrenching emotional moments. As battle heavy as these books are, I end up feeling like I've been through the most brutal battle of them all and I love every single moment of it.

I am being a bit hyperbolic because there were some really lovely moments of hope and happiness in this book, all that good just makes me that much more torn-up over the emotional moments though. So it really is a double-edged seax, but in a really good and satisfying way.

These books are so fast-paced, action packed and cinematic. I can hear the score in my head as I'm reading them. I'd absolutely love to see an adaptation of both Banished Lands series on screen.

I'm not going to be reviewing this book unfortunately as I hadn't realised at the time of requesting that it was the third book a series. I have only just found out that this is actually the second series set in the same world and in order to read this one book, I would have to read 6 others and I am not in a position to do that so I won't be reading this one anytime soon.

What a freaking ride! A Time of Courage was everything I had hoped it would be. My emotions are scattered, I’m shaking but above all else I am in awe of the raw and the brutality of John Gwynne’s penmanship. I picked up the first book in the Of Blood and Bone series in the summer and it has easily become my favourite adult fantasy series, ever, and I have read a lot of adult fantasy!

Get ready for a finale that is action packed, swifter than a war-hammer to the face and so heart-breaking that it brings you straight to your knees.

A Time of Courage is a story that make you cry. It’s a dark tale of friendship, leadership, loyalty, strength, and love. These themes are at the eye of the storm and they never leave us. It is our hope in a sea of vines, threatening to quash everything our characters stand for. It resembles that even in the darkest of times that good can overcome evil. I don’t think I can verbalise just how much this series got under my skin and how much I loved this book. It was just damn perfect.

Every single detail, every step travelled kept me grounded and focussed on the narrative. It prepared me to peel back the dangerously dark layers that John Gwynne set up for his readers.

In this review I won’t delve into individual characters – you can look at my review for A Time of Dread, what I will say however, is that staying to form, the characterisation in A Time of Courage was pinpoint perfect. These characters will long stay with me long after the dust has settled on the final page. They are like you and I, in a way. They’ve all felt pain, rage, grief, anguish, love, and hope. they are relatable. They reach out of the page and call to you, call to you to hear their story, feel their trauma, just to be heard. The characters are constantly on a tipping point and with different points of view, the reader is drop-kicked straight to hell. John is the first fantasy author to make me cry huge, fat ugly tears!

A Time of Courage also excels at superior prose at describing such atrocious events that we can only imagine. I was more than happy to share the burden with characters I’ve came to love, came to care about, but boy was the anxiety strong. I needed them all to come out the other side. Gwynne had the power to implant vivid images in my brain and I was transfixed. The book caused a ripple in my stomach but in a good way, I was invested, heart and soul.

I hope that you can feel the passion that I have felt for this series within this review. Please, please pick it up. Experience the magic that it emits. It’s a fond farewell, these characters will be missed.

A Time of Courage is the glorious and bittersweet conclusion of 140 hundred years (or I should probably say 2000 years) worth of bloody history in the Banished Lands!

I have to admit that I went into this final book with a lot of trepidation, in addition to the positive excitement and anticipation. Could this book really be on the same level as Wrath, the masterpiece that was the conclusion of the previous quartet? Will I love it as much? Would I feel as much joy, and sorrow and satisfaction? Will I stare at the book, blinking away tears and trying to calm my frantic heart as a beloved character met their end? Will my eyes fly through the pages, during a tension-filled battle or duel, to seek the outcome and make sure my heroes survived? The answers were yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. John Gwynne truly outdid himself in this outstanding finale.

Brace yourselves, friends and arm yourselves with courage before embarking on this final ride. There will be blood, and there will be heartbreak, and there will be glory.

Today there will be a reckoning. Today will be a time of vengeance.’
‘Today will be a time of COURAGE!’


If you are not familiar with this series, you should know that the central theme is the eternal battle between light and darkness, between good and evil. Gwynne pitted formidable foes against a bunch of warriors whose strength doesn’t only depend on their physical and tactical prowess, but most importantly on their bonds, their loyalty, their unflappable beliefs and the extraordinary animals they befriend. For that, I believe that this series as a whole is essentially a story of friendship and resilience. The theme of good vs. evil is only a context and a means to tell a very humane, universal and timeless story.

We are just people, all of us the same. Flawed, fragile, stubborn, angry, happy. And life treats no one differently. We are born, and we live, and then we die. It’s what we do while we are here that counts. And if we can be called friend, then we are lucky indeed.


Plot-driven kind of readers, have no fear, plot and action weren’t sacrificed for the sake of characterization. And character-driven readers, rest assured that the relentless pace and the multitude of battles and duels in this book (and in the series as a whole) didn’t prevent Gwynne from writing realistic, genuine characters to root for (or to loathe, there were plenty of those too, and Gwynne wrote them as intricately as he wrote his heroes). A Time of Courage was a very well balanced book and a maelstrom of tactical planning, dark magic, heroism, large scale battles, close quarter combat, emotions and nostalgia.

I won’t be naming characters in this review because the mere mention of a character past the first book in Gwynne’s series could be considered a spoiler. Not gonna lie folks, the man can be merciless toward his characters! I don't think I cared so deeply for fictional characters and cried so much reading any other series. Some deaths were a blow to the gut but the rational part in me could see they were organic and absolutely not written for shock value. First, these books tell the story of a millennia-old war; one couldn’t reasonably expect all the heroes to survive. And second, the meticulous growth of these characters, their very nature and selflessness made their sacrifice natural and necessary. But knowing this didn’t make it hurt less.

Having a part of the story told from the point of view of two of the baddies served the narrative quite nicely too in my opinion and added more tension (as if there wasn’t enough of that already!). The consistency and strength of the bad guys’ hatred and desire of vengeance and justice (at least their own twisted version of it) could have commanded respect were they not directed toward humankind and toward characters that dedicated their lives to defend those who needed defending and to protect those they love. While I disliked one of these 2 POVs in A Time of Blood (that character was particularly vain, delusional and disturbing), I found it more balanced and nuanced in this installment. It provided an invaluable inside knowledge and an up-close look at the “endgame villain” (Sorry guys, I couldn’t come up with a better name. I’m not the writer after all!). The other POV’s shrieks of rage every time they got routed were a balm and an intense source of satisfaction.

‘With Truth as my shield. ‘And Courage as my sword, I shall stand against the darkness.’


“Truth and Courage”, “Bright Star”, “Shield Wall”, “Corban and Storm”, “Drassil”, “Jehar and the sword dance”… these words and names and places will always mean something special to me. A reminder of a reading journey as real and authentic as any real life experience.

Gwynne infused both his characters and the continent he created, the Banished Lands, with strong, memorable characteristics. I usually have trouble visualizing the places an author spends pages describing and often end up with a vague idea of what they should look like. I didn’t have that issue reading Gwynne’s books. He has a talent at giving you a strong sense of space. The Banished Lands were vivid and vibrant in my mind’s eye and still are. I know the map almost by heart by now and can pinpoint most locations, with my eyes closed. Each of them is distinctive and familiar, like a path well-trodden or a place of which you have fond memories (if you exclude the creepy Wyrms, the fierce Wolven, the ravaging Draigs, the monstrous Ferals, the hound-sized bats, the blood thirsty Returned... of course).

When I strip all the politics and strategies away, it is quite simple: I am fighting this war for you. For my kin, the people I love.’


Another skill John Gwynne honed to a sharp edge in this finale was the way he played with his readers’ expectations. Sometimes, you had these impossible odds and extreme tension and everything worked out for the good guys. At other times, he lead you to believe that the day was won, and just as the anxiety started seeping from your bones and you stopped clenching your book with stiff, white-knuckled fingers, a betrayal or a surprise attack shattered your hopes and twisted your heart with the death of one or more beloved characters. At times, he just toppled plans that have been in the making for numerous chapters (and months or years in the narrative). There was no way you could guess the full outcome of a conflict! The sense of danger was ever-present.

And the same held true for the final battle. A grandiose, overwhelming, epic battle that spanned hundreds of pages. Gwynne gave his readers just enough hints of strategy and ruses to glue them to the pages and then unleashed death and destruction on a jaw dropping scale! It was both tragic and magnetic. All the characters, all the factions and races, all the magic, all the creatures converged to a single point and clashed in an ultimate battle between justice, friendship, honor on one side and evil and corruption on the other. And I just sat in my chair, well past midnight, and took it all in, mesmerized, horrified, helpless, hopeful, cheering, crying. The sheer brilliance of the ingenious battle strategies and tricks just blew my mind.


I hope this review either confirmed how you felt about this book and series or convinced you to give it a try! This was one of the best, most satisfying and gut-wrenching conclusions I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience. And this 7-book series will always hold a very special place in my heart and my shelves.

___
ARC provided by the publisher, Pan Macmillan, in exchange for an honest opinion. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and the quotes included may have changed in the released copy.

What a phenomenal book this was, and what a way to end the epic 7 book journey John Gwynne has led us along through the Banished Lands.

In truth, this is a book that shouldnt work. It is pretty much 600 pages of continuous battle. Its remarkable. But it does work, and it works so brilliantly.

As ever, Gwynne weaves a tale worthy of the late David Gemmell himself. The heroes, are heroic, the villains are cruel. The battles are immense. Theres bloodshed and violence, but also love and honour and sacrifice and heroism. Its a remarkable page turner. I honestly think even if you hadnt read the previous 6 volumes, you could still enjoy this for the sure quality in the writing.

But for those of us who have journeyed through the Banished Lands over the years, this book finishes the serious ever so beautifully. And it even leaves the door slightly ajar, for a return one day...

If I thought the previous book was amazing then this just completely blew it out of the water! I don’t know how John doss it but goodness me he just keeps getting better!!

This is an author i will be following for as long as he writes! I used to LOVE robert jordans wheel of time for the unique complexity of characters and astounding world-building, but this author makes them seem flat and simplistic comparatively!

The cast grows and adapts with the world, we see plots within plots weaving in and out of one another, actions effecting others like ripples, and it’s an absolutely astonishing work of art that only continues to become more amazing with each story that is released!

This book did NOT disappoint and I’m so excited to see what else this author writes!!

Such a satisfying conclusion, absolutely stuffed with battle sequences and action galore! As with all great fantasy there are heroes and villains, some morally grey, and everything in between. Literally something for everyone. An epic climax with lots of blood shed and tears.

An amazing conclusion to an amazing trilogy.

I did see a small similarity to it with Wrath, the last book of the Faithful and the Fallen though, it was full of action and only action, which can be off-putting for many people but I didn't mind it. I certainly enjoyed it a lot and I can't wait to read more of John Gwynne who is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors.

Once again our heroes join forces to defeat an assortment of beasts and devilish opponents. Across the banished lands we find armies of both sides travelling towards what could be the final battle. Our heroes have their own separate battles and obstacles to overcome before they can join up to confront their common enemies.
The demon king Asroth is now free and reunited with his followers. Allied now with Fritha who is capable of creating a horde of bestial troops forming an army of part human, part beast warriors using her dark powers. Revenge and betrayal is at the heart of all this but also loyalty and love and the key words often quoted truth and courage.
Drem is now more than ever a member of the Order of the Bright Star accompanied by what can mainly be described as an oversized polar bear but handy to have around when you’re in dire straits. Riv is certainly finding out more where her loyalties lie and also becomes part of the order which is hardly surprising after her history with the Ben Elim. More and more the truth of what happened before is revealed and not everyone can be without blame or regret. You won’t find any spoilers here I’m afraid. My best advice is to go pay a visit to the banished lands yourself.
The narration unfolds at a cracking pace and there is no shortage of battles and skirmishes on the ground or in the air. A lot of thought taken over the execution of the battle scenes and the interaction of the characters both good and evil. You can see attention to detail describing the environment of the regions of the banished lands. A Time of Courage is the final book in the Of Blood and Bone trilogy which ties up a few loose ends admirably. As such I would recommend you should read from the beginning A Time of Dread to grasp more fully the complex world of these books. I can see a return to the Banished lands at some point as I don’t think all their battles are truly done. I for one wouldn’t mind at all.

So here we are. A Time of Courage. Conclusion to John Gwynne’s second series set in his Banished Lands universe. As some of you probably remember, I’ve been really excited about Gwynne’s work for years. It has the sort of vivid world building that sucks you into the story, the tightly drawn, human characterisation of protagonists and those that oppose them, and a story that carries that kind of compulsive quality that means reading late into the night is no longer an option as much as it is a necessity.

It’s an absolute pleasure to report that Gwynne has done it again. This is a book which will hit you like an axe to the chest. Each chapter in this journey is filled with revelation, betrayal, bitter defeat, and a wonderful blend of tragic defeat and glorious victory. Characters - no, people - that you’ve come to feel for, and care about over three books, or six, may finally get what they deserve - one way or the other. The gloves, I am not kidding, are off. This is a crescendo brought to life in the people of this world, in their loves and lives and feuds, fears and victories.

It’s genuinely difficult to talk about the final book in a series without spoilers, but I’m guessing you can tell I really enjoyed it. So a word on logistics: If you’re coming into the third book in the series - yes, this does appear to be the final part of the sequence right now. No, you don’t need to have read both series in this universe in order to appreciate this one. Yes, you should read the other two books in this series, at least, before you come to this one. Or start with the first series anyway.

For those of you that are already here, already invested. Yes. The world is still glorious. The towers of giant-built citadels still scrape the skies. Vile revenants stalk the land in cloaks of mist and violence. Speaking personally, they make my skin crawl, the prose keeping my attention with the grim intensity of razor teeth at the throat. Ancient servants of an ancient creator continue an endless feud, regarding humanity as mildly-helpful idiots at best, chattel and food at worst. But the people soar in that world. The heroes have a fire in them that you can see pouring off the page. They have the flaws and struggles and scars that make us human, for sure. But beneath those is a core of humanity, of decency which makes them And the antagonists range from the alien, thrillingly malevolent and inscrutably inhuman, to the prosaic; Gwynne’s talent at making atrocious people who are still the heroes of their own story, and for whose journey you can empathise without sympathising, is considerable. Both sides of the coin have emotional heft, and will make you care.

Which is just as well, because the world is ending. The plot is a snappy one, driving up into a rolling boil that left me gasping between chapters. It delivers, one page at a time. Again, no spoilers, but this is an ending that these characters deserve - glorious and real and true. The battles are visceral and bloody, shields slamming together with a force that cracks stars, arrows thrumming through the air with a grace that ends in blood. You won’t be able to look away, and you may not want to. But it works because of the people, because we believe in them, in the world they live in, we believe that they matter.

Truth and Courage are the watchwords, and they’re on display here from the first page to the last. This is a fantastic and fierce work of fantasy, and a marvellous ending to a great series. If you’re wondering if it’s worth seeing through to the end, let me assure you now, the answer is yes.

Sadly, I couldn't finish this book. While I’m interested in the world and plot, I feel like I lost connection with the characters, and reading this final installment filled with epic battles should have been one of the best books of this year, but it wasn't... I can’t really pinpoint what it is that made me lose interest in the story. I was definitely in the mood for fantasy, as I read other Adult, YA and Middle-Grade fantasies while also reading «A Time of Courage».

But I kept putting it down with no desire whatsoever to pick it back up.

A great end to a great series, I was so excited to read my first John Gynne novel, the first in this series/trilogy and I was not disappointed by the second or third book. This does a great job of giving readers a conclusion and not to mention it still has all the elements I've loved from the start.

A Time of Courage is brutal with its storytelling, acting and its emotional toll on the characters and the reader. 

I don't want to spoil the ending of the Blood and bone, so I will keep it as generic as I can.

John Gwynne has created a story over 672 pages that doe not give the reader a break. Action, drama, battles, chases, revenge, romance and magic the book has it all. Although if you are a bit squeamish then this your advanced noticed.

A Time of Courage wraps everything up that's previously happened, everything is neatly closed off. Again the book is told in multiple points of views. From the good characters as well as the bad. I enjoy the fact that we see both sides and it makes them more human / you understand the reason even if you don't agree with them.

The book again has a great cast of animal characters. I loved all of them, it got to the point that when they were in danger I was cursing John out.

As my copy is a digital ARC, the below quotes may have changed but I am hoping they haven't as I like them.

"Sig for such a short time, but she had left an Irremovable mark upon his heart. An example of true friendships, of loyalty, of love. Of truth and courage."

"He had a flush in his face and gleam in his eye that Drem was starting to recognize. Drem glanced up, saw the outline of Ben-Elim above them, and ahead the dark spots of Dun Seren's crows, circling. I think they've found our enemy."

"Sometimes the only answer is Blood and Steel."
Favourite aspects of A Time of Courage;

Battles
The Chase
Riv finding her place
Revelations
Lest favourite aspects of A Time of Courage;

Some of the very graphic scenes i.e the eye.
My Rating for A Time of Courage is 4.8 out of 5.

Rating: 8.5/10

“Sometimes the only answer is blood and steel.”

I have had a really hard time writing this review because of how much I adored John Gwynne’s previous series in this world, The Faithful and the Fallen. I ended up comparing the two quite a lot as I read and that is never good for writing a review. However, now that my brain has finally been able to process things after a few days of nonsensical emotions and thoughts, here is my unadultered and quite humble review of A Time of Courage.

It was really good.

Oh, you want more than that? Alright, well I want to start off with what I always do when it comes to John Gwynne’s writing, the characters. Gwynne is simply put, one of the best authors out there writing compelling characters and thorough character development. There is just not many out there that can make me care about each and every named character like John Gwynne does. The sense of family, found family, and bonds of friendship are real and profound throughout the Of Blood and Bone series, but especially in A Time of Courage. I will say that there was one friendship that felt a little forced and unnecessary, but other than that each and every relationship is beautiful with a natural feeling to it.

“That what we fight for is love and friendship. Not schemes and strategies, but people. Our kind, our friends. Our loved ones.”

Another thing that stands out in A Time of Courage is the battle scenes, especially the climactic one. John Gwynne knows how to write an epic ending and this book does not falter in that whatsoever. No character is safe and that heightens each and every battle’s intensity and stakes. I was afraid that one or more of our main characters was going to die at some point or other. I should have learned my lesson from the Faithful and the Fallen series about hoping that Gwynne would use just a little plot armor and spare my favorites. However, that’s not how this story works. It is immersive, visceral, and heart pounding.

That leads me to talk about the plot. I felt that both the first two entries, A Time of Dread and A Time of Blood, had a somewhat slow pace leading up to climactic endings. However, A Time of Courage has a fast pace throughout the narrative. We get right into the action and it doesn’t really ever let up.

All in all, A Time of Courage was a great ending to the Of Blood and Bone trilogy and my favorite of the series. If you like elements of classic fantasy, tied in with deep bonds of friendship and love, and quite a few epic battle scenes, this trilogy is for you. Fairwell to The Banished Lands, you will be missed…..until I inevitably decide it’s time for a re-read.

5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2020/04/06/a-time-of-courage-of-blood-and-bone-3-by-john-gwynne/
Wow. Yes, I thought I would be consistent – my reviews for the previous two books in the series started that simply and so in the interests of continuity I thought I’d conclude with the same note and, on an incredibly happy note I’m overjoyed to be able to conclude with such high praise.

This third book really blew me away. I loved the first book, I adored the second book but this book, it made me cry, it made me laugh, it made me so annoyed that I wanted to rip a tissue. It’s packed with feelings. The tension is so intense, the battles are furious, the pacing is crazy. I just loved it. I would actually give this a higher rating than 5/5 if I could. Well, who’s to say I can’t. 6 out of 5 stars – there, call the rating police.

Now, if you haven’t yet read this series but intend to do so then just be aware there might be spoilers below, although I highly doubt it as I’m planning on skirting around the plot.

This instalment, in a nutshell, is the perfect culmination to the series. It brings everything together in one huge explosive battle (after a bit of to’ing and fro’ing that is), chucks the pieces into the air and then chops, shoots and stabs the whole lot as it falls to the ground. Then stabs a few more things as well for good measure. Seriously though, there is a lot of fighting in this instalment – and the thing is, I loved it all. Well, apart from some of the deaths – but truth be told you couldn’t have a make or break situation like this without the loss of some favourite characters.

This final instalment is once again told with multiple POVs but this time an additional character is added. So we once again have Riv, Drem, Bled and Fritha but now Jin joins the storytelling and this adds a whole new world of ‘hell hath no fury’. I have to say the characters in this series are absolutely awesome. I love them, even when I really hate them! Seriously this is top characterisation. I was on the edge of my seat with worry. I think I already mentioned I cried. And some of the scenes made me almost cry with relief. Particularly some of the scenes with Bleda. In fact the chapters between Bleda and Jin are absolutely compelling. And the relationships are like a masterclass in writing whether its friendship, love, hate, revenge or desire.

I don’t think I can really write too much more here and that isn’t because I don’t want to but because I’m in serious danger of gushing so much that it becomes simply embarrassing.

All I can say to conclude is that this entire series was perfect from start to finish. I didn’t have any criticisms at all which is unusual to say the least and I read this final instalment with my heart in my throat. I always pick up the last book and wonder if it will live up to the rest of the series and this one really does, in fact it goes beyond. Gwynne doesn’t pull any punches to be fair and I have to applaud that. In an end of the world style story where everything is on the line, lives are lost. Bittersweet though.

If you like epic fantasy then I can’t recommend this series enough. Do yourself a favour and read it. My only regret is that I didn’t read the earlier series by Gwynne set in this same world and now I’ve read the conclusion it’s highly unlikely that I’ll go back, but it is what it is and you never know – one day.

Truth and courage. The truth of the matter is that I loved this series, this story and these characters, as much as Lord of the Rings – there, I’ve said it, and that’s about as high praise as I can think of right now. Tolkien might not be for you though so don’t be distracted by that comment – I’m talking about the pure joy of reading right now, not necessarily style. Courage is something you’re not going to need because you will be hooked from the beginning to the end, although you might need some courage because this book feels like you’ve literally been sucked through some kind of tunnel and are living in this world, and seriously, it’s not a world in which I want to live – I’m an absolute lily livered coward and I have no shame at all about admitting it – and with monsters running and flying at great speed towards you, gnashing their teeth and swinging their war axes, well, a little courage couldn’t hurt – although, getting bumped up onto the shoulders of a huge white bear, who happens to be one of the good guys, makes it all kind of worthwhile.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. the above is my own opinion.

This book marks the end of an era. Our time in the Banished Lands has come to an end, and what a satisfying and battle-laden end it is! In this final instalment we follow Riv, Bleda, Fritha, Jin, Drem and many others as they prepare for and fight the final battle.

The Positives: John Gwynne has managed to tie up every loose thread in this book, which is very impressive and incredibly satisfying for the reader. Each character has a full arc that is authentic and believable. There are some very poignant moments here and some moments of extreme tension, which made the reading experience very compelling. I really enjoyed the ending too, which is definitely hard to nail in a series of this scope.

The Negatives: There is an awful lot of battle in this book, which can get a little bit exhausting at times and means that the plot, which had been quite intricate in previous books, gives way to fighting. I also thought that the portrayal of a couple of the female characters here was a bit lacking in nuance (women scorned).

Overall, I have really enjoyed this entire series and think that this is a fitting and well constructed ending that should leave all fans happy.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Received ARC from Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for honest read and review.
Wow how can you review a book that culminates one of the best ever series I have had the pleasure to read.
This started years ago with the first 4 book trilogy....and then this 2nd series set years after.

A true gem of a series that,if you have not read,you have to give it a go-you will not be in any way disappointed.

I can not rate highly enough,this was by far the read of the year,I know it is only March,but I don't care..
I am not going to say anything about this book,as for those waiting on it,I will not give any clue to what will come up.

It is by far a great ending to a wonderful series that started with Corban and ends here.
Truly magical read.

A Time of Courage is a stunning masterpiece that proved yet again that John Gwynne is a force to be reckoned with; primed and poised to joined the ranks of the greatest fantasy authors.

By now, you would’ve already seen my co-bloggers’ raving reviews for A Time of Courage. Believe me, every single word and praise heaped upon this book was warranted and well-deserved. We pretty much read the e-ARC together the moment it was made available and spent a lot of time screaming at each other over our Whatsapp group chat whenever we encountered an ‘OMG’ moment – which was plenty. I challenge anyone to make sense of our chat transcript because it was a whole lot of incoherent ramblings and outpouring of emotions.

“We are just people, all of us the same. Flawed, fragile, stubborn, angry, happy. And life treats no one differently. We are born, and we live, and then we die. It’s what we do while we are here that counts. And if we can be called friend, then we are lucky indeed.”

As I’ve mentioned in my review for A Time of Blood, I felt that my enjoyment of this sophomore trilogy had so far been primarily attributed to nostalgia; emotions triggered by the commemoration of the main characters from The Faithful and The Fallen. I’m glad to say that I felt differently in this concluding volume. Not because I lost the nostalgic sentiment – far from it, it was heightened and enhanced to even greater levels in this book. What happened was that I finally started to be utterly invested in the protagonist characters and the outcome of the almost insurmountable battle against the Kadoshim and their allies. Gwynne has an uncanny ability to write the most captivating characters, of any race or species. Some of the best ones are indeed the animals, and believe me when I say that I often dread their probable death more than the human characters. The emotional resonance arising from the love and loyalty, friendship and camaraderie between the characters affected me deeply. There were so many moments where I was either struggling to read through hot tears or dreading to know what’s coming next. But there were equally as many moments where my heart would soar and sing, or when my fists would pump in cathartic celebration.

“Death comes for us all. But we’ll take some of you with us.”

Having read his debut series, I knew that Gwynne never pulls his punches and I approached this finale with the expectation that I would inevitably suffer heartache. I was not wrong, but this is what makes his stories so special for Gwynne never cheapens a character’s death. They all come to mean something, simply because of what they stood for. Truth and courage. Love, loyalty and friendship. As such, the emotional payoff was tremendous. And when the final battle comes to a head, we were gifted with one of the most visually spectacular and emotionally powerful climaxes I’ve ever read. Gwynne utilised his extraordinary skill in writing close combat scenes to great effect. Balancing that with sweeping and wider perspectives, the battle scene was rendered into cinematic brilliance. After dedicating a total of seven (amazing) books to tell the tale of The Banished Lands, this utterly epic climactic battle felt well-earned. It was rewarding and a well-deserved gratification. A brutal yet fond farewell.

“With Truth as my shield, and Courage as my sword, I shall stand against the darkness. From this day on, until the time of my death. This is my oath, sealed with my blood”

A magnificent finale to a phenomenal series of books which started from Malice, I’m certain that A Time of Courage would earn itself a spot in many “Best Reads of The Year” lists (as it would be on mine). It is time to say goodbye to The Banished Lands, but I will look forward eagerly to anything that John Gwynne writes in the future.

A phenomenal ending to the trilogy. Action-packed, emotional, and thrilling, written with a passionate sincerety and heart which is the lifeblood of any classic epic fantasy tale. For the time being, this can be said to be a wave of goodbye to the Banished Lands of John Gwynne. It was enjoyable to its core with its sweeping tale of courage, love, loyalty, and friendship, fighting against the evil of the world.

This book wraps up everything in one epic confrontation of humans, angels and demons, giants, and it was sort of bittersweet. It is brimming with combat, and the reader could visualise the fights in a vivid manner written in the story. It seems John Gwynne saved the bloodsoaked battles for this final volume, and by the gods it's spectacular. This is also a story of sacrifice and loss. Some of our beloved characters die, and wrings out every emotion out of the reader. The scenes are written with a poignant intensity, that grips the heart and never lets go.

Mr. Gwynne is always brilliant in portrayal of his characters. They shine with life in the pages, be it the humans, the animals, or the giants. Even the antagonists cannot be hated for the bad choices they made, they can only be pitied. Every character is flawed, complex, and yet goodness and darkness lurks in equal measure in their hearts. I loved Riv. I loved Drem, Byrne, Bleda, Friend, Keld, and everyone that has a part in the story. They shine out as real men and women fighting to protect the things they love. Their trust, camaraderie, loyalty, and love for each other gave an immense depth to the narrative while propelling the story into an explosive climax.

The climax was cinematic, and is one of the biggest and excellent battle scenes in any fantasy novel I have ever read. Everything ends with a deep sense of loss and sorrow. The victory is tinged with a melancholy that can never be erased from any of the characters. But, Gwynne doesn't make the darkness and gloom last for long. The light of love, truth, courage, and friendship brings hope. That's what makes this final book so special.

Mr. John Gwynne, thank you for gifting us such heartfelt stories. A Time of Courage has the resonance of the great epics and sagas ever written. I doubt, I will read anything like this ever again - unless Gwynne decides to write another series as riveting as this.

Mr. Gwynne, We will Never Forget.

Once again I discovered how easy it is to go back to this complex, multi-layered world and the characters who people it: unlike previous times, however, there was also a heightened sense of uncertainty because here the story reaches its final showdown, and previous experience taught me that nobody could be considered safe here, so I was very anxious for the survival of the characters I had come to appreciate and love. To sum up my experience with A Time of Courage in a few words, I have come across a new definition of epic fantasy, indeed.

The ages-long strife between the Ben-Elim and the Kadoshim, between good and evil, is about to reach its decisive battle and things are indeed looking grim for the people of the Banished Lands: through the artful planning of the Kadoshim and their allies, Asroth - lord of the demonic creatures - has been freed from his decades-long confinement and is about to command his army of evil creatures and twisted humans in the war for dominance. For their part, the Ben-Elim, the Order of the Bright Star and their own allies are opposing a strenuous resistance, but their adversaries are too many and hard to vanquish - and some of these defenders are more interested in power and dominance struggles rather than in combining their forces to insure the survival of humanity.

These might sound like standard plot elements in the genre, and in a way they are: what makes them different, what makes this series stand out from the rest, however, is the strong, compelling characterization carried out across the whole spectrum of personalities - from the undeniably good to the perversely evil - together with the unrelenting pace and the breath-taking descriptions of battles fought either on the ground or in the air whenever winged creatures from both sides engage each other. Starting from here, I have to confess that battle scenes rarely hold any appeal for me, but I always can make an exception for those described by John Gwynne, who possesses the very rare talent of bringing you in the very midst of it all, blending the physical action with the emotional commitment of the characters and turning these elements into scenes of such cinematic quality that they compel you to follow every word with the kind of concentration that makes you forget the rest of the world around you. This was particularly true for the “battle to end all battles” representing the climax of this novel and of the books that preceded it, a sequence that roughly takes the last twenty percent of the page count and that went on unrelentingly, alternating victories and defeats for the heroes, to the point that I had to often remind myself to breathe, because I was in such a state of stress I don’t remember ever experiencing with a book.

In these times when epic fantasy seems to have reached a wider audience, thanks to the largely successful small-screen portrayal of another genre saga, many have wondered what the next “blockbuster” might be: well, if a mythical creature like a far-seeing, perceptive network executive truly exists, they should look no further than this epic, that started with the four-book series The Faithful and the Fallen and closes its narrative cycle with the three books of Of Blood and Bone. If handled with the care and respect that this story deserves, it could easily surpass anything we have seen until now.

The characters represent the other strength of the series: after a while I realized that they had taken hold of my imagination, regardless of their position in the scheme of things - even the ones pledging their alliance to Asroth have their reasons for doing so, and while unable to “forgive” them for that choice, I could see where they came from, what made them choose that path, and this understanding turned them into people rather than mere adversaries, into flesh-and-blood creatures that felt quite real, as did the feelings animating them. The moments in which Gwynne’s characterization excels are not those linked with battles though, but rather the quieter moments, the lulls between skirmishes when our heroes take the time to encourage or comfort each other, when they share the pain for the loss of a fallen comrade or reaffirm the bonds of friendship and loyalty tying them together: in these moments we finally understand that they are not only fighting to combat evil, and certainly not to seek glory, but because of the sense of kinship, of family, they have come to share. In the overall grimness of the situation, while facing impossible odds and the possibility of annihilation, hope, love and friendship are the best weapons they can wield and also the armor shielding them from the encroaching darkness.

And while I am on the subject of love and friendship, I want to reserve a special mention for the animals fighting alongside people: wolvens, bears and talking crows whose devotion, loyalty and courage often sheds a ray of light in the darkest of circumstances: these creatures are crafted with the same passionate care reserved to people, and it takes little time to grow attached to them just as much as with their human counterparts.

This is such an immersive world that it’s a pleasure and a joy to lose oneself in it, and although I got to know it in this second phase of its history - the one represented by Of Blood and Bone, whose events follow those of the previous series The Faithful and the Fallen by more than a century - I had no difficulty in finding my bearings in it. However, after reading the first novel of this trilogy, A Time of Dread, I backtracked and so far managed to read two of the four books in the previous saga, and will try to complete the other two as soon as I can so that I can have a comprehensive picture of this amazing creation that literally stole my imagination from the very first chapters of that first book. The Banished Lands, despite the evil plaguing them, are a fascinating place to visit, and I intend to get to know them as well as they deserve.